“Just look at the body language of Speaker [John] Boehner, of Eric Cantor, they know it’s wrong. All the Republican leadership knows that doing this is a disaster for them; they’re not strong enough to resist the tea party,” Schumer said.

Schumer said he believes the GOP leaders are looking ahead to when the deadline to act actually comes, with the hope that moderate Republicans win out.

“I think that the Republican leadership is hoping that when we get right up to the debt ceiling, right up to the line, there is such pressure on mainstream Republicans that they stand up … and say to Speaker Boehner and Eric Cantor, ‘Don’t let those 60 tea party people dictate, it’s a disaster.’”